The invention relates to a heat sink for semiconductor components or similar devices, in particular made of an extruded aluminium alloy, with cooling ribs projecting from a base plate at a spacing from one another, and each being held in a clamping manner by a coupling base which is approximately rectangular in cross-section in an insertion groove which is introduced into the surface of the base plate, by means of longitudinal or intermediate ribs laterally bordering this insertion groove. The invention also relates to a method for producing a heat sink of this type and a tool for this.
Heat sinks of this type can be inferred from DE 25 02 472 A1; insertion grooves of the base housing which taper conically towards the groove base are provided for the cooling ribs on a heat sink for thyristors. These are pressed with over-dimension into the insertion grooves which are provided with longitudinal grooves in the two side walls. While in this case a minimum thickness of the rib is required in order to be able to receive the necessary pressure forces in the joining method, only an interlocking bond can be achieved in the method according to DE 35 18 310 A1.
According to the teaching of this document, extruded solid profiles with lateral recesses are inserted in an interlocking manner as cooling ribs into the insertion grooves of the separately produced base plate. The groove walls of the insertion groove, after insertion of the cooling rib, are formed by a tool which is wedge-like in design and can be retracted between two cooling ribs, the tool being inserted into an auxiliary groove with a V-shaped cross-section and partially pressing the material of the housing base into parallel grooves of the cooling rib.
In both cases the insertable number of ribs—and therefore the achievable heat-dissipating surface—is limited, on the one hand, by the required minimum thickness of the cooling ribs and, on the other hand, by the required minimum width of the intermediate grooves.
In light of the prior art, the inventors have set themselves the task of developing a new heat sink form and new manufacturing method, owing to which a higher number of ribs and therefore a larger surface can be achieved with simultaneously improved heat transfer between the heat sink base and inserted cooling ribs.